CANADIAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION 57 



cannot be capable of handling it until they have actually done it, and practically 

 exhibited their .ability. When the Dominion Forestry Branch gets Drained men 

 with the knowledge and experience to enable them to handle the work, we may 

 make an extension of our activities that will satisfy Mr. Chown to the full. I 

 would like to say something in regard to the forestry work of the Dominion Branch 

 if you will permit me, which was referred to in previous proceedings of the meeting. 



Mr. Ross referred particularly to the fire ranging system and urged that it 

 should be extended and made as effective as that in use in Ontario. I think that 

 as far as we have gone in the Dominion Service, we have a very effective system. 

 Throughout the railway belt in British Columbia, we have been practically able 

 to prevent fires for the past five or six years, during which time we have had charge 

 of the fire ranging service. On the Forest Reserves we have permanent rangers, 

 who have met with excellent success during the past few years. On the Turtle 

 Mountain Reserve, which is a small reserve, we have one ranger. On the Moose 

 Mountain Reserve, we have one permanent man, who secures temporary men as 

 he needs them. In regard to this man I may say that he is a perfect terror in the 

 neighborhood. He can call out any man anywhere in the vicinity whenever a 

 forest fire appears on the horizon, and just as sure as there is a fire and he is anywhere 

 near it there is not a man to be found anywhere in the district. In fact he has had , 

 to haul one man out of a water barrel where he was hiding, and another man out of a 

 cistern, so that when a fire occurs he is generally a very busy man. 



In addition to this we have put several permanent men on the Riding Mountain 

 Reserve, to which I think Mr. Ross referred, and we are also establishing a patrol 

 into the Northern Forests. Up to the present time in the Northern Forests which 

 you see on the map here, we have had rangers in the Edmonton district, both east 

 and west of Edmonton and to the north as far as Athabasca Landing. Last year 

 we put two more men up there, and one in the Lesser Slave Lake District. During 

 the present summer we expect to extend operations farther into the Peace River 

 and Athabasca District, and perhaps go north as far as Prince Albert, into that 

 forest district, so that in time we shall be able to coyer that whole northwestern 

 district thoroughly. Up there now we have to face the same danger from the 

 building of railways as has been spoken of with regard to Northern Ontario, Que- 

 bec and New Brunswick. During the coming summer the Grand Trunk Pacific 

 will be under construction west from Edmonton. And we are going to see that 

 our fire protection service for that district is effective. So far we have not had 

 any serious fires on the construction or survey of the Grand Trunk Pacific west 

 of Edmonton, and without attempting to criticize the Ontario system of fire ranging, 

 I saw in the papers the other day the statement of a lumberman that 1,000 square 

 miles in Ontario had been burned by the work of the Grand Trunk Pacific surveyors. 

 As far as we have gone we have been able to prevent anything of that kind in our 

 territory. There have been fires started by the surveyors there. One very curious 

 one was mentioned to me by a ranger some time ago. While travelling across the 



